Middle English (ME)
was the dominant and traditional spoken language form in many parts of England
during the Middle Ages. Though most language
historians suggest that prior to about 1000 CE, the primary language in England
was Anglo-Saxon, the Norman invasion of England had significant effect on
Anglo-Saxon. It gradually morphed the language into Middle
English, a form almost recognizable, at least in
text, as far more relative to modern spoken and written English.History
can have an intense effect on language. For England, the Norman invasion
changed English forever. In the courts and in
much of the writing of the time, French was definitely preferable, accounting
for the numerous French-based words (over 10,000) that are now the common every
day words of today’s English. Most documents
dated after 1000 were written in either French or Latin, and Middle English drew from
both, while still retaining some of its Anglo-Saxon roots. This in part
accounts for the significant “exceptions” in English
grammar, spelling, structure and pronunciation that can make English such a challenging language to learn,
especially for those acquiring it as a second language. The term Middle
English literature refers to the literature written in the form of the English language known as-middle English,
from the 12th century until the 1470s, when the Chancery Standard a form of London-based English, became widespread and the printing process regularized
the language. Between the 1470s and the middle of the following century there is
a transition to early modern English though in literary terms the
characteristics of the literary works written does not change radically until
the effects of the categories of Middle English Literature: Religious,country
love , and Arthurian, though much of Geoffrey Chaucer's work stands outside
these. Among the many religious works are those in the Katherine grop and
the writings of Julian
of Norwich and Ricard rolle.
There had been a great change
between the time of Beowulf and the time of The Canterbury Tales. Chaucer’s
language is on the whole understandable to a modern reader. The differences
between Old English and the English of Chaucer’s time were a result of changes
in both the grammatical system and the vocabulary of the language. The most noticeable
change in the grammatical system was the disappearance of most grammatical
endings on words. And the Conquest of the Normans brought the French language
into England, which contributed to the vocabulary of the English language.
(Churchmen and scholars continued to borrow words from Latin at that time
too.)One extremely significant development that took place in Middle English
was the gradual adoption of a standard written language. Before that period,
there was no such thing as “Standard English”. The other change is in
pronunciation; the long vowel sounds in what is called the Great Vowel Shift.
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